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Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Extraction of Venom and Venom Gland Microdissections from Spiders for Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analyses
Published on: November 3, 2014
Snake venom toxins: toxicity and medicinal applications
Yau Sang Chan1, Randy Chi Fai Cheung2, Lixin Xia3
1State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease for Allergy, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Nanhai Ave 3688, 518060, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Abstract:
Snake venoms are complex mixtures of small molecules and peptides/proteins, and most of them display certain kinds of bioactivities. They include neurotoxic, cytotoxic, cardiotoxic, myotoxic, and many different enzymatic activities. Snake envenomation is a significant health issue as millions of snakebites are reported annually. A large number of people are injured and die due to snake venom poisoning. However, several fatal snake venom toxins have found potential uses as diagnostic tools, therapeutic agent, or drug leads. In this review, different non-enzymatically active snake venom toxins which have potential therapeutic properties such as antitumor, antimicrobial, anticoagulating, and analgesic activities will be discussed.
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